Motorcycle gang member faces 15 years for breaking firearm ban by playing plastic duck shooting game at carnival

An ex-convict from Southern Australia might soon find himself back behind bars after taking part in a seemingly innocent carnival game most wouldn’t even think twice about. The shooting gallery may be a staple of the carnival scene, but for Timothy Ronald Simpson, the simple game might cost him 15 years in prison.

As with most carnival games, shooting galleries see players pay to have a chance at winning prizes (usually some sort of big stuffed animal) but, more often than not, failing miserably and leaving a little bit poorer. In this case, the players are handed an air rifle, with the goal of the game being to shoot as many fake ducks as possible.

Although it might not be considered a “real” gun, it was real enough to land a “bikie” gang member in a heap of trouble with the police. Brobible reports that 48-year-old ex-convict Timothy Ronald Simpson, an affiliate of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club, had visited the Almond Blossom Festival in Willunga with his daughter on July 26.

Simpson could be going back to jail

While there, he had the chance to win his daughter a prize at the shooting gallery, and footage from the event showed him doing so. There was just one problem: using the air rifle counted as a violation of his probation, which explicitly banned him from handling any sort of firearm.

While it may seem excessive, an air rifle is not a toy gun; it can cause harm. Footage of Simpson holding the rifle and taking part in the carnival game found its way to the authorities. They subsequently arrested him for violating his probation terms and being “unlawfully present at a shooting gallery.”

Simpson had allegedly been on probation relating to a previous firearm conviction, although this has not been confirmed. He also sparked a manhunt when he was 34 after breaking his parole conditions in 2012. His most recent violation could see him back in jail for a considerable amount of time, as he is facing 15 years for handling the rifle and another 10 for being present at the shooting gallery.

The judge who oversaw the bikie’s initial hearing reprimanded him for handling the rifle but also admitted that the weapon was “sufficiently different from what parliament wanted to try to prevent” and in this case it “might not represent the most grave type of this offense.” 

So it seems unlikely that Simpson will serve anywhere near the full sentence for the offense. However, the ex-convict could remain behind bars until January, as he failed to make bail, meaning he will likely have to rely on the court’s schedule.